View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Plymouth Marine Science Electronic Archive (PlyMSEA) MarLIN Marine Information Network Information on the species and habitats around the coasts and sea of the British Isles A mud shrimp (Corophium volutator) MarLIN – Marine Life Information Network Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Review Ken Neal & Penny Avant 2006-11-10 A report from: The Marine Life Information Network, Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Please note. This MarESA report is a dated version of the online review. Please refer to the website for the most up-to-date version [https://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/detail/1661]. All terms and the MarESA methodology are outlined on the website (https://www.marlin.ac.uk) This review can be cited as: Neal, K.J. & Avant, P. 2006. Corophium volutator A mud shrimp. In Tyler-Walters H. and Hiscock K. (eds) Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Reviews, [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.17031/marlinsp.1661.2 The information (TEXT ONLY) provided by the Marine Life Information Network (MarLIN) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License. Note that images and other media featured on this page are each governed by their own terms and conditions and they may or may not be available for reuse. Permissions beyond the scope of this license are available here. Based on a work at www.marlin.ac.uk (page left blank) Date: 2006-11-10 A mud shrimp (Corophium volutator) - Marine Life Information Network See online review for distribution map Corophium volutator in a muddy footprint. Distribution data supplied by the Ocean Photographer: Sue Scott Biogeographic Information System (OBIS). To Copyright: Sue Scott interrogate UK data visit the NBN Atlas. This information is not Researched by Ken Neal & Penny Avant Refereed by refereed. Authority (Pallas, 1766) Other common - Synonyms - names Summary Description Corophium volutator has a long slender body that is whitish with brown markings and grows up to 11 mm in length. It has a clearly segmented, dorso-ventrally flattened body. The head is small with two pairs of forward pointing antennae; the second pair are a distinguishing feature of Corophium volutator and are particularly long and thick. There are seven pairs of segmented legs with the top segment of each being typically small and separate from that of the next segment. Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland Widely distributed on all coasts of Britain. Widely separated records in Ireland. Global distribution North Atlantic, American and European coasts; from western Norway to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea and Azov Sea. There is also a Japanese variety, Corophium volutator orientalis (Omori & Tanaka, 1998). Habitat The amphipod occupies semi-permanent U-shaped burrows in the fine sediments of mud flats, salt marsh pools and brackish ditches. It tolerates a wide range of salinities from nearly fully saline to https://www.marlin.ac.uk/habitats/detail/1661 3 Date: 2006-11-10 A mud shrimp (Corophium volutator) - Marine Life Information Network almost freshwater. When present in high densities the openings of the burrows are clearly visible on the surface of the sediment. Depth range Intertidal Identifying features Body dorso-ventrally flattened. Head with small pointed rostrum. Antennae 2 forward pointing longer and thicker than antennae 1. Gnathopods are small with many setae. Last pair of pleopods are longer than the preceding pairs. Coxal plates are small and separate. Additional information The morphology of the male and female antennae differs significantly and for identification refer to the appropriate key, e.g. Lincoln (1979). Listed by Further information sources Search on: NBN WoRMS https://www.marlin.ac.uk/habitats/detail/1661 4 Date: 2006-11-10 A mud shrimp (Corophium volutator) - Marine Life Information Network Biology review Taxonomy Family Corophiidae Genus Corophium Authority (Pallas, 1766) Recent Synonyms - Biology Typical abundance High density Male size range 1.0 - 11.0mm Male size at maturity 4.6mm Female size range 4.6mm Female size at maturity Growth form Articulate Growth rate 8 - 11mm/year Body flexibility High (greater than 45 degrees) Mobility See additional information, Surface deposit feeder, Active Characteristic feeding method suspension feeder, Surface deposit feeder, Active suspension feeder Diet/food source See additional information Particulate organic matter, epipelic (=living on fine sediment) and Typically feeds on epipsammic (= living on sand) bacteria and diatoms. Sociability Environmental position Infaunal Dependency No information found. Supports No information Is the species harmful? No Biology information Abundance Corophium volutator is one of the most abundant organisms in estuarine mudflats reaching densities of 100,000 m² in the Stour Estuary, Suffolk (Hughes, 1988). Densities vary with geographical region and season. In Gullmarsfjorden, Wadden Sea winter densities are 100 m² and rise to 1400 m² in the summer (Flach & de Bruin, 1993). In the Crouch Estuary in southeast England, Corophium volutator number 6,000 m² in winter and rise to 50,000 m² in the summer (Gerdol & Hughes, 1993). Predation Variations in density are the result of predation and subsequent recovery of Corophium volutator. Corophium volutator is an important food source for dunlin (Calidris alpina) (Jensen & Kristensen, 1990), redshank (Tringa totanus) (Hughes, 1988; Raffaelli et al., 1991), shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) and flounder (Platichthys flesus) and these predators can consume 55% of annual Corophium https://www.marlin.ac.uk/habitats/detail/1661 5 Date: 2006-11-10 A mud shrimp (Corophium volutator) - Marine Life Information Network volutator production (Raffaelli et al., 1991). Corophium volutator is also fed upon by the brown shrimp (Crangon crangon) and the green shore crab (Carcinus maenas) which can consume 57% and 19% of Corophium volutator production respectively (Flach & de Bruin, 1994). In the summer months, as the tide recedes, male Corophium volutator crawl on the surface of the mud, searching for females (Fish & Mills, 1979; Hughes, 1988; Forbes et al., 1996), making them more vulnerable to predation. In North American estuaries, the semipalmated sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) can consume 50 males per minute as they follow the ebbing tide (Brown et al., 1999). There is no dispersive larval phase in the life history of Corophium volutator, instead, the embryos develop in a ventral thoracic brood pouch and emerge as miniature replicas of their parents and build a burrow off that of the parent (Hughes, 1988). Reproduction ceases below 7°C (McLusky, 1968) so, in the winter, predation significantly decreases the density of Corophium volutator. Corophium volutator has the habit of swimming when immersed, which makes them available as prey for the common goby (Pomatoschistus microps) (Flach & de Bruin, 1994), herring (Clupea harengus), sprat (Sprattus sprattus) and smelt (Osmerus eperlanus) (Essink et al., 1989). The swimming behaviour of Corophium volutator has been reported by several authors. In the Ems Estuary, Wadden Sea, it was estimated that 0.06% of the population (3 x 108 individuals) swim on the flood of each tide, leading to a net landward movement of the population (Essink et al. 1989). In the Stour Estuary, southeast England, Corophium volutator was found to swim only at night, on or around spring tides and only between May and August. It was estimated that on any one tide 6-19% of the population swam and that it was mainly immature animals that swam (Hughes, 1988). Holmström & Morgan (1983a) also found this species swimming at spring tide, mainly on the ebb just after high tide. Corophium volutator is a poor swimmer and is vulnerable to predation whilst in the water column, so there must be a benefit to swimming that outweighs the risk of predation. Hughes (1988) proposed several theories as to why Corophium volutator would elect to swim: 1. as a means of dispersal to prevent inbreeding; 2. to prevent intrasibling competition; 3. in response to diminishing food supplies in high density areas, or 4. females may swim to release their young. Feeding Corophium volutator ingests particles 4 -63 µm in diameter. Food consists of bacteria, diatoms and particulate organic matter (POM) (Gerdol & Hughes, 1994a; Hughes, 1988; Jensen & Kristensen, 1990). There has been some disagreement in the literature about which of these is the most important in the diet. Diatoms are crushed individually to avoid ingestion of siliceous frustules, thus it is difficult to estimate rate of diatom consumption by Corophium volutator (Gerdol & Hughes, 1994a). Feeding occurs at all stages of the tide, suspension feeding at high tide and deposit feeding at low tide. Three modes of feeding have been recorded in Corophium volutator. 1. Suspension feeding from a current generated by the pleopods (Hughes, 1988). In this way an individual can irrigate its burrow at a rate of 25-100 ml per hour (Limia & Rafaelli, 1997). 2. Deposit feeding by leaving the burrow and scraping surface detritus and microorganisms into the burrow with the second antennae, the current generated by the pleoplods then passes this material over the mouth parts(Hughes, 1988). 3. Epipsammic browsing, where the microbial biofilm is scraped off individual sediment grains